When do you know it is time to go attend another church? I realize this is an ambiguous question but we would appreciate some outside input. Thank you. In Him Bruce Jordan

-- Anonymous, July 01, 2003

Answers

Bruce....

An excellent question....and one that Preachers often have to deal with (i.e., when is it time to move on?).

Really....I think the answer is very simple.

When you can no longer give your full support to the leadership of the church....it's time to move on.

No where does the Bible give us the authority to carry out a division in the church (i.e., split and go start another church). In my 22 years of ministry I was asked to do that one time and I flat out refused.

When you can no longer support the leadership of the church, it's time for you to find one that you can.

The mandate of Scripture is that we place ourselves under leadership.....so find one that you can respect and follow.

Good advice for Preachers as well.

God bless in your decision.

-- Anonymous, July 01, 2003

Danny;

I whole heartedly agree with you. Leadership is the make or break of churches. Before joining a church one must ascertain the direction and ministry of leaders to be sure that is the direction you can serve with and work under. Consquently if they change and you cannot agree with the change, or more importantly you find the changes impedes your growth as a Christian, then it is time to change churches.

But what I want to point out is if it is a personal observation of a weak area or something you merely don't like (as in Type of music, or new ministry), that is NOT reason to change. One family left our church saying they could not feel God. I've heard it has been said I am not being fed. I reject those excuses as God is always present when the church is gathered in his name for the purpose of praising God, and being fed is very subjective. What is meant by that, and is that saying that nothing in the church is feeding you? Then most likely that is a spiritual problem of the individual.

If there is a perceived weakness in the church's ministry, one ought try to help, by at least praying for it diligently. But specifically, trying to get involved to deal with it is preferable over leaving.

Leaving hurts churches. Preachers often leave to soon and members often leave with out a solid reason.

Thats my two cents

That's my two cents.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2003

Well said Bill!!

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2003

May I introduce my thoughts on this matter for whatever they are worth?

I wish that the decision to leave or change churches was as simple as it has been described so far. However, I question the wisdom of making the vision of the leadership the touchstone for truth or the criterion on which to base a choice or preference. In this age of rampant apostasy in the church, it is very difficult to find leaders who have not compromised sound biblical teaching in one form or another. On the other hand, it’s just as easy for a church member to church-hop from one congregation to another without any sense of loyalty or accountability to local church leadership. So, what is the answer to your original question? Well, one must devote him or herself to much prayer and soul-searching as well as to a systematic study of the Word. As long as the elements of grace, discernment, knowledge of the Scriptures and godly wisdom are continuously being developed, we can trust God to guide us to the right choice, whatever that may be.

-- Anonymous, July 15, 2003